Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
It’s worth noting that former Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has quietly been connected to Portland within league circles. Yet, will that chatter lead to anything more substantive now or in the future? Now, Portland’s current price range for a head coach is well below Kidd’s remaining contract with the Mavericks, which is for four years and $40 million, according to ESPN. Kidd also expressed a desire to make front office personnel decisions before Dallas hired Masai Ujiri and Portland general manager Joe Cronin signed a multi-year contract extension in April of 2025. Thus, while the stars may not align on paper for a pairing with Kidd at this juncture, there’s been enough scuttlebutt leaguewide worth keeping tabs on looking ahead.
League sources tell The Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer, furthermore, that two additional previously unreported names have also advanced to those stages: Boston's Tyler Lashbrook and Utah's Mike Williams. Sources say various candidates will fly into Portland this weekend as the process continues. Portland's search has been multilayered to date and thus challenging even for NBA coaching insiders to track, given that some candidates have spoken primarily to Blazers general manager Joe Cronin, while others have spoken directly to new Blazers owner Tom Duncan and some have spoken to both.
Sean Highkin: Blazers cuts are mostly business side but there were a few in basketball ops, I'm told. Mostly lower- and mid-level staffers. Joe Cronin and his three top assistants (Andrae Patterson, Sergi Oliva and Asjha Jones) are all still with the organization.
On whether he’s willing to enter the tax to build a winning roster: Tom Dundon: “Joe (Cronin) called me — and I don’t even know if it was allowed — he called me at the trade deadline. Technically we didn’t own the team yet, (but) he had a deal — actually two different deals — but one in particular where we would have gone into the tax. And it would have been whatever; $20 million. I was fine with it. I want to run the business properly. But I want to win more than I want to make money. And that seems kind of obvious if you’re in this business, right? Winning is the only reason you do it. Why would you buy a team? “And so, obviously … a lot comes with staying in that tax in the NBA, right? They’ve made the rules in a way that it’s complicated. But to go in strategically because you can pick up a young player or have a chance to win … we would definitely do it. And I’ve got to think most people would. I don’t know many owners that wouldn’t do that. I don’t think we operate any differently. I hope we’re … in a position where going in the tax means we have a chance to win. And if we have a chance to win, the tax is irrelevant.”
Sean Highkin: In this interview Tom Dundon directly contradicts Joe Cronin taking the blame at exit interviews for not traveling the two-ways. I never believed for a second it was Joe's call but good to hear that from the boss directly: "I made a mistake. I just don’t understand the league."
Advertisement
“Today is a celebration,” Blazers general manager Joe Cronin told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “We’re very happy for Mike to get this great opportunity. It’s well deserved and we’re incredibly thankful for his contributions to the Trail Blazers organization.”
Sean Highkin: Unclear at this point whether or not Schmitz’s job is going to be filled. Joe Cronin’s other two AGMs, Sergi Oliva and Andrae Patterson, are still here. But this is a major loss. Mike is as important as anyone to the Blazers’ operation.
As league sources said on Monday, the Trail Blazers have cast a net so wide that the list of candidates could be almost 20 coaches long and, in the end, will consist of names procured by both Dundon and general manager Joe Cronin. What’s more, league sources say, there is no clear messaging as of yet about a possible timeline on the hiring. And while Dundon has pushed back on the notion that he’s cutting corners as a matter of what he believes is good business, the proof will be in the paycheck.
Sean Highkin: Joe Cronin on not traveling two-ways: "That one's on me. I heard we were going to have some traveling party reductions and I assumed it would include them and didn't double-check. That's on me for not communicating it."
Sean Highkin: Joe Cronin on roster needs: "The Spurs series showed us that we don't shoot the ball well enough. Shooting is something we knew we were deficient in. Dame will definitely help us, but something we need to address going forward. We played a lot of possessions in the mud."
Advertisement
Sean Highkin: Joe Cronin on coaching search: "Tiago is a candidate, but we're going to talk to other candidates. We decided early on we were going to cast a wide net."
Sean Highkin: Joe Cronin on his own job status: "Tom is so transparent that I feel like if I was at risk, I'd probably know it."
Sean Highkin: Joe Cronin on potential star addition: "We're open to it, but only at the right price point. We're not going to sacrifice our entire future for a short-term swing."